Reflection On Teaching Is Not My Forte

Teaching is not my forte. I have a hard time understanding and employing current teaching theory as it relates to education in the world. I have formed opinions on the adjusted weights of student test scores to the APPR, as it really seems another tool in the current teacher witch-hunt. I do not believe the public understands what it is designed to do especially as I have heard students ask their teachers, “What happens to you if we fail the end of the year test on purpose?” Teachers should strive to better themselves and their practice, refine and reflect, and evaluate themselves to create lessons that are more accessible to all students.

Mrs. Breyette was a person who enjoyed order, and expected her students to employ it to a great degree.

Votraw. I entered my sophomore year of high school very nervous and introverted. I was at a point where I did not see anything good about my ideas or myself. She had us write in a journal daily. These notes were just between her and us; she encouraged us to write about anything we wanted to. We were encouraged to use whatever form to write our thoughts and feelings. She read all our writings. She was excited about our writing, and our thoughts. She validated our writing, thoughts, and feelings. She encouraged the creative expression and gave us feedback. She would expect us to correct the grammatical, spelling and syntax errors. She gave us thoughtful feedback on what we read. We learned we had a voice, and this adult showed us our voice had power. I remember reading a particularly effusive praise for one of my poems, she had written that she felt I would make a good writer and I should think of it as a potential career move. She looked forward to my future published works. I was surprised and stopped to make sure she had not made a mistake and written the praise in the wrong student’s journal. She meant every word, and it gave me such a boost to my self-confidence. I began to realize there was value to my writing and started dreaming of writing a book. I succeeded in self-publishing a small folio of poems, because Mrs. Votraw believed in me. I still carry that in my

Breyette liked me for the first week I attended her class, but somehow I fell out of grace. I was never able to regain that “favor”. She was a guileless person; she did not attempt to disguise her dislike of anyone. Her behavior modification methods primarily were effusive public praise or public humiliation and shaming. Fifth grade homework was substantial. The class as a whole spent five or more hours per night, every night working on it. Rote memorization was a primary (from what I recall) method of teaching. She did call on students for answers to questions. She was not particularly accepting of students who did not change their behavior or methods to fall in line with her point of view, nor was she particularly accepting of differing points of view. Mrs. Breyette worked hard at helping students learn the “facts” that we were supposed to know. She had us do science research projects on creatures that interested us, mine was on hummingbirds. We also had a social studies research project. Thirty years have passed and I still remember that Charles the First was executed by guillotine. She played favorites with her son and his friends. She also coached the girls’ basketball